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[maybebaby3]

megan no experience just wishing you luck. i know my friend used domperidone successfully when she had supply issues.

 

[sun]

Megan - I had lots of supply problems with my son and this is what worked for me:

- I took fenugreek, and ate oats and brewers yeast 3-4x/day. I made cookies out of them and ate a couple every few hours!
- Drank tons of water and ate as much as possible - my supply was suffering due to low weight (caused by BF!). I really had to pack in the calories to keep BF.
- I nursed LO as often as possible - this was tough because my son wasn't much of a comfort nurser, but I made sure to offer frequently.
- I did try and pump in between nursing, but never got much from pumping. My son seemed to get what he needed though, so I think my boobs just didn't respond as well to a pump as other women.

I didn't ever give him top-ups though, as I knew with my supply issues it would only increase the problems. Nursing frequently helps so much though - when my son would get a cold and want to nurse more I definitely noticed an increase. That and maintaining making sure I ate a large enough quantity.

 

[_meganORSI]

WOW! Thanks everyone who's been responding! Over the weekend I purchased a Pump in Style Advanced. I purchased it used, so I boiled everything before using, of course. I'm trying to pump every 2 hours. On this coming Tuesday (8-23) it'll have been a week since I started pumping. I've noticed a SMALL, VERY MINUSCULE change in my milk. Maybe just a few more drops than before ;-)

I will look into the brewers yeast! I looked for Mother's Milk over the weekend, but couldn't find it. I've seen it before, so I just have to go to the right store.

We did do a bit of skin to skin this weekend. He's a squirmy one, so unless he's tired, it doesn't always work. I've been trying to offer him the breast whenever I think he may latch. Sometimes he does for maybe a minute or two, most times less. And sometimes he doesn't latch at all.

But, I'm trying to remain hopeful. I know this may sound weird, but this past weekend I smelled what I thought to be milk! haha! When I nursed my baby before, the aroma of milk and my baby together was hypnotizing. It would bring me to tears on a regular basis! So when I caught a whiff of that, I was hopeful that maybe something was changing and I'd start producing milk again!

Thanks for all the encouragement. I find myself hopeful one minute, then discouraged the next. But I'm trying to remain positive! Success stories are wonderful to read.

THANKS AGAIN!

 

[sun]

Megan - You can get brewers yeast from health food stores! xx

 

[roonsma]

Have you seen the relactation thread on here by Shannon123? Might be of some help

 

[_meganORSI]

Have you seen the relactation thread on here by Shannon123? Might be of some help

Actually, when I was searching the net for information about re-lactation, I found that thread... I think! I'll post there as well.

THANKS!

 

[MamaBird]

Hi Megan! Good on you for giving relactation a go

I've not personally had any experience, but it sounds like you are on the right track. You could also try eating lots of oats and apparently barley can help as well!

Also, don't be disheartened if you can't pump much, a lot of women can't. When my LO went on a nursing strike a few months back, I could barely pump more than 20ml or so, even though I was full! Apparently, some women can't 'let down' for a pump. You may have more milk in those boobys than you think LO is much better at extracting the milk than a pump

All the best hun, I really hope you get the outcome you'd like

I just wanted to reiterate how true this is. I have been BFing for a year now and for a few months when my baby was about 3/4 months I tried pumping and it just did not work for me Yet my baby always had enough milk. I even gave it another go a couple months ago and still nothing with the pump except a couple drops.

good luck!

 

[HungryHippo]

This is good info! Our LO is 1 month and while I think she's getting enough - I can barely get an oz when pumping after the morning feed. So I think I'm going to put pumping aside for a few more weeks. (I was doing it mainly to get help with the nightly feed for sleep but she's sleeping okay these days.)

 

[cat lover]

Dear Champions

I have posted this in the BF forum and had a couple of very kind replies but wondered whether one of you might be able to help me?

Here goes:

LO is 14 weeks and still feeds like a 3 week old. She has 40 minutes or so on each boob but this only keeps her going for an hour which means that I am spending over 50% of my waking hours feeding - I am really finding it hard to believe that this is normal at her age? I do give her a couple of bottles of formula a day just to save my sanity, as I really feel I would have slipped into a depression by now otherwise. I know this may have affected my supply but I am still BFing SO MUCH that I should still have plenty of milk, and I have been very determined not to end up EFF. (Absolutely nothing more than a dribble comes out when I try to express despite major efforts and trying both manual and electric pumps).

I don't think it is a growth spurt as she has always been like this (although slightly worse lately).

Please help as I am starting to lose my mind now, I really thought this would be over by now. Maybe I have an undersupply? My BF support group say my latch is OK so I am all out of ideas as to whats going on.

Thank you

 

[bky]

It could be a milk transfer issue, so a tongue tie of some type. Low supply does present like that as well (longer frequent feeds), but if the milk transfer was adequate babies generally get better at sucking as they get older if you see what I mean?
Does she do any of the following:
Compress your nipple, slip off the breast if you don't hold her just right, fall asleep frequently at the breast, do a lot of shallow flutter sucking even at the beginning of a feed/have an absence of strong jaw movements and swallowing at the start of the feed?
If any of that sounds familiar there is a link in my signature that has some links with pictures and where to get help.

 

[roni_75]

Could be a tongue tie. Take LO to the doc and see, that would explain your baby not getting enough at each feeding/having to work harder. Also, try brewer's yeast, it helped me make TONS of milk and I noticed it right away too. I feed my LO many, many times a day still!! It kinda seems like she is always on the boob, lol. It has gotten better though b/c she can finish in maybe 5min now instead of 40!Good luck!

 

[hannahmroman]

i would really appreciate a champion!!

I am a first time mummy with a 5 week old baby boy. He was born with a tongue tie which has made breast feeding really tricky from the start (he found it very hard to latch on so was feeding continually for up to two hours, taking a half hour nap then starting all over again), and to top it off he is a big boy (10lbs when first born, now over 12) so very very hungry. He lost 10 per cent of his weigt within the first couple of days and failed to thrive for a couple of weeks so i made the decision to start supplementing with formula. a decision that i now regret somewhat as my milk supply seems to have taken a nosedive. I have been pumping and nursing but i think that due to his poor latch (we have had the tongue tie snipped but it doesnt seem to have helped improve his feeding much - i think he's taken a preference to the bottle), i am not managing to express a great deal - either by pump or by hand. It seems to be getting worse and worse every day and i am really starting to worry that theo wont be getting the antibodies from me that he needs. I breast feed him as best i can before every bottle and express twice per day but this evening i didnt even manage to get 1fl oz using my medela electric pump, i tried hand expessing and struggled to get a few drops. my nipples are becoming sore from trying to express and my breasts actually feel empty and there is excess skin, i no longer feel my let down reflex whereas i used to feel a definite tingle. I'm at a loss at what to do next - any advice would be greatly appreciated xxx

 

[Lownthwaite]

i would really appreciate a champion!!

I am a first time mummy with a 5 week old baby boy. He was born with a tongue tie which has made breast feeding really tricky from the start (he found it very hard to latch on so was feeding continually for up to two hours, taking a half hour nap then starting all over again), and to top it off he is a big boy (10lbs when first born, now over 12) so very very hungry. He lost 10 per cent of his weigt within the first couple of days and failed to thrive for a couple of weeks so i made the decision to start supplementing with formula. a decision that i now regret somewhat as my milk supply seems to have taken a nosedive. I have been pumping and nursing but i think that due to his poor latch (we have had the tongue tie snipped but it doesnt seem to have helped improve his feeding much - i think he's taken a preference to the bottle), i am not managing to express a great deal - either by pump or by hand. It seems to be getting worse and worse every day and i am really starting to worry that theo wont be getting the antibodies from me that he needs. I breast feed him as best i can before every bottle and express twice per day but this evening i didnt even manage to get 1fl oz using my medela electric pump, i tried hand expessing and struggled to get a few drops. my nipples are becoming sore from trying to express and my breasts actually feel empty and there is excess skin, i no longer feel my let down reflex whereas i used to feel a definite tingle. I'm at a loss at what to do next - any advice would be greatly appreciated xxx

Hiya

Well done on making it this far.

When was the tongue tie snipped? It may take him a while to adapt his latch now.

Are you still feeding formula or soley feeding from the breast?

Don't worry about not feeling the let down - this has no bearing on supply.

 

[hannahmroman]

his tongue tie was snipped just over a week ago. i am still feeding him formula as well as trying to breast feed because i really dont feel that i am satisfying him. he tugs at the breast and grabs at it with his hands and grumbles and growls. he never seems to have milk in his mouth if he drops off the breast and he sucks like as if he were sucking a dummy (shallow little comfort sucks rather than deep drinking sucks). thinking about galactogogues to get the supply boosted and continuing to offer the breast before bottles and hopefully this will work?

 

[Lownthwaite]

his tongue tie was snipped just over a week ago. i am still feeding him formula as well as trying to breast feed because i really dont feel that i am satisfying him. he tugs at the breast and grabs at it with his hands and grumbles and growls. he never seems to have milk in his mouth if he drops off the breast and he sucks like as if he were sucking a dummy (shallow little comfort sucks rather than deep drinking sucks). thinking about galactogogues to get the supply boosted and continuing to offer the breast before bottles and hopefully this will work?

He will still be trying to establish your supply - having had formula will not have helped this to be honest. Unless you've expressed the feeds when he's had a bottle of formula?

When he is latched does he stop grumbling?

The little sucks help to let your milk down - do you think he is triggering the let down? (It can take a few minutes sometimes)

I'd contact your local LC or BF support worker to check your latch. Just to make sure it's not that that is causing a problem.

 

[hannahmroman]

he's normally on for 30 mins ish each time, then doses off, so i switch sides, tickle feet, blow his face, wiggle him around, burp him, and try again, and then i supplement with a bottle of formula when the pain gets to bad. i'll give the lc a ring tomorro as i know his latch still isnt right, he's persistent at trying to suck the nipple through pursed lips rather than opening wide - i've tried demonstrating to get him to open as wide as he can but to no avail.

 

[Lownthwaite]

he's normally on for 30 mins ish each time, then doses off, so i switch sides, tickle feet, blow his face, wiggle him around, burp him, and try again, and then i supplement with a bottle of formula when the pain gets to bad. i'll give the lc a ring tomorro as i know his latch still isnt right, he's persistent at trying to suck the nipple through pursed lips rather than opening wide - i've tried demonstrating to get him to open as wide as he can but to no avail.

How many of his feeds are formula? A bottle after each BF?

You're only giving formula because you're in pain? Can you describe the pain?
Where abouts in the breast / nipple? When it hurts? How long for? etc......

 

[Lawhra]

I really need a Champion's support right now.

My baby was 6 weeks yesterday and I had been so looking forward to this point as it's supposed to get easier. For us the opposite has happened due to thrush Aidie has Nystatin, I have Canesten cream and I got some Acidophilus today. I am cutting out cows milk, have reduced my sugar intake (I have a major sweet tooth) and will get some white vinegar to wash my nipples. Is this enough to rid the thrush? It is not severe enough to give me pain in my milk ducts, just slightly sore nipples.
My biggest issue with the thrush is latch. It is off. I have to take him off several times to re-latch and sometimes it just does not help. We both get very frustrated. He clicks lots, takes in a lot of air, is hard to wind and is sometimes sick. I have tried cradle hold, cross cradle, lying down, exaggerated latch and biological nursing. None help.
We've got through severe tongue tie, very sore breasts and nipples, bleeding nipples, major cluster feeding and now this. I want it to fall into place like it should. He still feeds a lot, there's no routine to his feeding and doesn't sleep through the night. It's hard to see light at the end of the tunnel.
I hired a pump yesterday but can't bring myself to use it. I'd rather things get better but so scared they won't

 

[roni_75]

Things will get better! ~hug~ They will, trust me, I thought the newborn hard stage would last forever and it did not, now I wish she was tiny again!! lol Just keep pushing through the rough stuff, even the thrush will get better and be a memory. Just try to keep as dry as you can after you heal, even if you have to change a couple of times a day.

 

[Lawhra]

Thank you. I hope so as there are times I just can't take it anymore. I keep telling myself it'll get better. But it so far only gets worse. It's so unfair that something so natural is so darn difficult.
I know I will look back and think how quickly this newborn stage has gone so try to appreciate it all, even in the tough moments. But it makes it so much more difficult to enjoy when you're tired and baby can't feed properly